LITTLE ROCK – Head coach
Chris Beard and the Little Rock men's basketball team topped UAFS 70-60 in an exhibition game at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday night. Newcomers
Lis Shoshi and
Daniel Green combined for 25 points and 16 rebounds.
The Trojans shot 36.9 percent from the floor, but limited UAFS to 30.0 percent shooting and held a +19 margin on the glass. Little Rock grabbed 18 offensive rebounds in the contest, leading to 15 second-chance points and a 30-20 edge in points in the paint.
Shoshi, a junior college transfer from Howard College, led three Little Rock players in double figures, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds. Green, a graduate transfer from Wake Forest, added 11 points and nine boards, coming within one rebound of a double-double.
Jermaine Ruttley came off the bench to score 10 points.
Maurius Hill grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and had three steals in 27 minutes.
For UAFS, Seth Youngblood led the Lions with nine points and six rebounds.
Little Rock never trailed in the matchup but didn't pull away from the Lions until late. The Trojans' lead didn't grow to double digits until the 4:59 mark of the second half. After UAFS tied in on two free throws by Richie Spiller with 16:26 to play, Little Rock scored the next six points before expanding its lead to nine on Shoshi's bucket with 11:35 to play.
Fort Smith answered, pulling as close as three on Youngblood's trey that made it 50-47 with 9:56 to go. The Trojans responded by scoring six of the next seven points and grew their lead to 10 on Osse's third triple of the game with 4:59 to play.
Osse, playing his first game since Feb. 2014, scored nine points on the night. The junior finished the game 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
Little Rock will officially open its season against Central Baptist at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday, Nov. 14. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
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